Santiago de Chile, June 8 (EFE).- The Betis coach, the Chilean Manuel Pellegrini, said this Saturday that he is sure that Chile “will reach the World Cup” under the direction of the Argentine Ricardo Gareca, whom he visited in the preparation they carry out in Juan Pinto Durán in Santiago to face Paraguay on Tuesday, before traveling to the United States to play the Copa América.
“I think the team is in very good hands and we have to let it work calmly, with support and I am sure that Chile will reach the World Cup with it,” he said in statements released by the La Roja press department.
Pellegrini highlighted the coach’s experience and valued the journey he has made as a coach at 66 years old and which has placed him since last January at the forefront of the challenge of qualifying Chile for a World Cup again, an objective in which they have failed in the last two South American qualifiers.
La Roja will play a friendly against the Paraguayan team on its return to the National Stadium after four years, before competing in group A of the Copa América along with Peru, Argentina and Canada. While at the end of the year the qualifiers for the 2026 World Cup will resume, a race in which they are in eighth place outside of the classification positions.
“I have known Ricardo for a long time. I believe that he has all the necessary experience to lead Chile to qualify, he has experience in South American teams, what he did with Peru is not minor, the achievement achieved both when he went to the World Cup and the last one, “he added. .
The Chilean coach had this meeting with his country’s national team in which goalkeeper Claudio Bravo is called up, whom he coached at Betis until the end of this season after the goalkeeper ended his relationship with the Spanish club.
“I wanted to come and greet Ricardo and all the players before this new Copa América begins,” said the former Real Madrid and Manchester City coach, who valued the growth that the Chilean team’s training facilities have had.
“I have been away from Chile for 25 years, but the truth is that it is impressive how it has grown,” he commented.
Pellegrini, whom the Chileans have wanted to take over as national coach, expressed his desire for the public to give their support.
“Always the support of the public, which is fundamental for the players, the coach, for the entire atmosphere that is generated. Of course, there are moments of greater expectation and of lower expectation, but I think that that illusion has been reborn a little,” he concluded. EFE
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